Astros take Schuster first in Rule 5 Draft; ship him to San Diego

Lake Buena Vista, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Houston Astros selected left-handed pitcher Patrick Schuster of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization with the first pick in Major League Baseball's annual Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.

The Astros then immediately shipped him to San Diego as the player to be named later in the Anthony Bass deal the two teams completed on Wednesday.

Schuster went 0-1 with a 1.83 ER, 45 strikeouts against 18 walks and a .191 opponents batting average over 55 relief appearances for High Single-A Visalia this past season.

Originally signed by Arizona as a 13th-round selection in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, Schuster has gone 16-14 with a 3.55 ERA, 262 strikeouts against 129 walks and a .240 opponents batting average in 149 games, 31 starts, over parts of five minor league seasons in the Diamondbacks (2009-13) organization.

There were nine players taken in the major league phase of the draft on Thursday. If those players do not sign with their new team, they must be offered back to their original team, effectively canceling the Rule 5 draft choice.

However, once they spend an entire season on their new team's 25-man roster, their status reverts to normal and they may be optioned or designated for assignment.

The same rules apply to players who are selected then traded, like Schuster.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, whose rights were held by the Colorado Rockies, was taken in the Triple-A phase of the draft by the Texas Rangers.

It's the third time that he has been drafted.

Of course, several players have succeeded through the Rule 5 Draft in the past, most notably Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana and 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton. Other prominent players selected through the Rule 5 Draft include pitchers Joakim Soria, Matt Mantei and Antonio Alfonseca, as well as second baseman Dan Uggla and outfielders George Bell, Willy Taveras and Shane Victorino.

Players who are not currently on their team's 40-man roster are eligible to be taken in this draft, but only after a standard exemption period has elapsed. Also, only teams whose rosters are under the 40-man limit are eligible to participate.

A player who is 18 when he's signed can spend five seasons in an organization before he has to be protected. Anyone who is 19 or older must be protected after four years. Once past that time of service, a player must be put on the 40-man roster if that team wants to keep him from becoming eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.